HP Pavilion can't turn on the wi-fi

[NROmancer]

Hey gang,

So I'm pulling my hair out trying to fix this.  I have an HP Pavilion laptop that absolutely refuses to connect via wifi.  Microsoft Network Troubleshooting says to enable the wireless connectivity and brings up the Network and Internet Center.  The Wi-Fi button is off and cannot be enabled--when I do, it simply stays on OFF.

I went through HP's online Support Assistant and performed all of the troubleshooting steps--and I mean ALL OF THEM.  Still no joy.  This includes uninstalling and reinstalling the adapter, updating the driver, resetting the BIOS to defaults...everything.  It still gives me the finger.

Can one of you amazingly good-looking and stunningly well-educated folks give me any hints?  This is maddening!

-terry-

[CherylG]

Not to over-simplify but have you tapped the Wireless button to see if that changes anything? Sometimes it can get accidentally turned off.

[NROmancer]

Yes, I tried that.  I get the "Airplane Mode On"/"Airplane Mode Off" message but nothing changes.  

I gave up in frustration and installed a USB Wi-Fi dongle.  Not my preferred solution, but it beats pulling my hair out and using NSFW language.